Class A electronics ban?? fact or fiction

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why don't they just encourage the use of efficient speakers, it seem silly even thinking about trying address power dissipation without addressing the 'elephant in the room'.

Because efficient speakers ARE the elephant in the room. 98dB/W at 30 Hz is the size of your fridge. And no, having 98dB/W satellites that consume 20mW audio power and a 78dB/W "sub" that consumes 500W to produce bass in a half cubic foot box does not count as an "efficient" speaker. That's cheating and consumes more total power than 90dB/W full range monkey coffins.
 
Power factor is the offset of current vs voltage in power supply due to either a inductive or capacitive load. Most smps have a power factor of 0.5. So they suck 1amp, but the generator has to supply 2amps, and they can only bill you for 1amp. The generator supplies volts-amps but they can only bill you for watts.
To clarify this a bit, the SMPS takes 2 A in, but only takes 1 A worth of energy (which is what you pay for), essentially "returning" the other half back to the network. This means that the utility company has to pay for the transmission losses for 2 A. They don't actually produce twice the amount of power.

Regarding the subject of idling class A, I also think that this is likely a conflation of the standby issue. The power consumption of class A power amps is really a non-issue. General market interests are already driving towards high-efficiency amps in the low- and middle-end simply because they are a lot less expensive. Most people just don't care how it works or how it sounds as long as there's something resembling music coming out of their little plastic boxes (not that well made class D amps are that bad). The power consumed by all the class A amps in the world is just a drop in the ocean.
 
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And if you add up ALL the power consumed by ALL the Class-A audio amplifiers all over the world, what sort of trivial number do you get?
You cold probablly offset it for several years by cancelling one intercontinental jet aircraft flight.

And to think nearly 2000 delegates took to the air to attend the Copenhagen Climate Conference. That'd cover all the Class A amplifiers until the end of mankind many times over.
 
About 1 nuclear reactor/5,000,000 households....
436 nuclear plants world wide produce 370,326 MW total. This means that 5 million amps running 8 hours a day at 510W will be powered by an average nuclear plant.

Using these two sources (1) (2), I estimate that roughly 20 Boieng 747-400's consume (in flight) the same amount of energy as that one power plant produces. (Same number can be had from here with a little less work.)

I have no idea how many class A amps are out there in frequent active use, but 5 million seems a bit high (almost 1/1000 would have one) and I doubt that they run for 8 hours a day on average. If we take that down to 500 000 amps, 2 hours a day, it would be pretty close to a 747 flying non-stop.
 
It wouldn't surprise me in the least :(

EU Plasma TV ban

The EU has already banned incandescent lightbulbs of 60W & above. Halogen bulbs are ok for now though, in a few years they'll be stuffing LED lightbulbs down our neck. They'll probably ban energy saving fluorescents due to the mercury used in the phosphors :rofl:

Hmm, that's news to me. There still are plasma TVs in stores here, and prices are going down.

But as for the lightbulbs, it's true. But not including 60W. 75 and 100W bulbs have been banned indeed. And i sure wish they'd ban CFLs too, i HATE them.
 
i'm of 2 minds about the whole thing actualy. I do have pretty good practices when it comes to saving energy, all lights are off if i'm not in the room for any length of time, I only have short showers, dont use chemical fertilizers on the garden, I buy energy efficient appliances for the rest of the house, the aircon or heater is only used under dire circumstances and only long enough to solve the immediate temperature crisis and then it goes off again, I drive a small (but reasonably sporty) car but use public transport quite regularly, I try to steer clear of products that use a great deal of resources in their manufacture and enjoy organic beef: but I do love class A electronics and use far more energy than is needed in that case perhaps, because it makes me happy

comparatively yes, when compared to the family that drives a massive 4 wheel drive so they and the kids are 'safe' or even just down to the shops, has a massive plasma that is left on sleep all day and a house full of sleeping electronics. blah blah blah. and to some degree this can make one feel better about themselves and lighten the load on the conscience, but really it doesnt mean zip. just because some people are patently irresponsible and ruining the planet at a considerably faster rate than I possibly am, does not really absolve me of guilt.

will this guilt keep me awake at night after i've blown my mind with some great music?.....

no not really
 
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I can see the 6 o'clock news headlines for 2020 now.......


A Class A amplifier addict and his audio junkie were arrested on multiple counts of excessive power consumption today. The suspects were taken into custody earlier this evening. Local officials have also confiscated a hidden portable generator and vintage power soaking pop-up LCD TV.....more news at eleven...........:sigh:
 
Hmm, that's news to me. There still are plasma TVs in stores here, and prices are going down.

But as for the lightbulbs, it's true. But not including 60W. 75 and 100W bulbs have been banned indeed. And i sure wish they'd ban CFLs too, i HATE them.
I think what they have done is ban the importing of certain plasma TVs into the EU. As per usual the papers don't give the full story. What has been banned is the earlier plasma type displays that were terribly inefficient. We all know that technology improves, the early 42" plasmas used somewhere near 500W if i'm not mistaken :eek:

Plasmas are still available here in England to, i think they'll be rather more efficient though.

As for the bulbs, you are right ;) In the UK they'll be banning the 60W bulbs soon. Anything over that is already history.

I actually quite like energy saving CFLs :D Much better choice of light "colour" & colour rendering is better even on a 2700K tube, let alone a 6500K daylight tube.
 
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